10 Things About Leon
by Kaerith
Summary: 10 drabbles about how Sora affects Leon's life.
1. Leon never smiled

**Ten Things about Leon**

1.

Leon never smiled.

Sora was disgruntled at that fact. Well, as disgruntled as such a abnormally cheerful 13-year-old could be. He just didn't think it was normal for someone to never smile! Not to mention sad.

Sora made a promise. He promised himself that he would do whatever it took to make Leon smile.

Sora tried jokes. A duck walked into a bar. A chicken crossed the road. An elephant sat on a refrigerator. ...Nada.

Sora tried dirty jokes. There was a brunette, a redhead, and a blonde. There once was a man from Nantucket. There was a nun that got on a bus. ...Nope.

Sora tried tickling. Leon wasn't ticklish. He scowled and batted Sora away or, worse, just ignored his attempts. No smile.

Sora tried practical jokes. Shaving cream, Vaseline, toothpaste, and glue. Leon scowled and grimaced and went through half a roll of paper towels, but didn't smile.

Sora tried clowning around, getting spaghetti sauce all over his face, making faces, and laughing hysterically for little or no reason at all. Nothing worked.

Finally, Sora flopped down next to Leon on his couch.

"You never smile, do you?" He asked, pouting.

"... Not really." Leon answered.

"That's sad. I've tried and tried to get you to smile, but nothing's worked!"

"So that's why you've been acting so strange."

There was silence. Leon studied his magazine and Sora dwelled on his older friend's permanently gloomy demeanor.

Eventually he said, "I guess you've had a hard life?"

Leon thought and replied, "Harder than some, probably."

"How so?"

Sora didn't think Leon was going to answer him. The man stared down at the glossy pages at pictures and diagrams of weapons, frowning a little. But after several minutes Leon responded. "I grew up in an orphanage. I never had a family. I went to a competitive boarding school. Most of my friends have died."

Sora pulled his legs under him and turned toward Leon. Grasping his arm he said, "But you have friends now! I'm your friend!" And he grinned happily as Leon raised his head to look at him.

"...Yeah. You are."

And Leon smiled. Nothing to match Sora's usual 200-kilowatt smile, of course, but it was undoubtedly a smile.

Leon very rarely smiles.


	2. Leon disliked sweets

**10 Things About Leon**

2.

Leon disliked sweets.

"I made cookies!" Sora announced proudly as Leon entered his home.

Leon looked at him. "Is that the smoke detector?"

Sora ignored the question and began dancing around Leon singing, "I made cookies!"

Leon sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"

Sora giggled. "Guess who I made them for!"

Leon frowned. "I don't like sweets."

Sora pouted. "But I made them for _you_."

Leon sighed. "I'm going to have to clean up the mess, aren't I?"

Sora stamped his foot. "You are going to try a cookie!"

Leon grunted. "No thank you."

Sora's eyes began filling with tears. "But I created a special secret recipe just for you! Chocolate-lemon-peanut butter Leon Bunnies!"

Leon decided he would rather get food poisoning than have a boy bawling in his hallway. "Fine. I'll try _one_."

Sora perked up and ran back to the kitchen, returning wearing oven mitts and holding a tray with charred blobs of burnt dough. "You didn't have any cookie cutters, so I made the bunny shapes myself!"

Leon pried one lump off the cookie sheet. Looking at Sora's beaming face to remind him why he was going through this, he tentatively nibbled the edge of the cookie. Beneath a deceptive layer of carbon, the dough was raw inside and tasted... well, like chocolate, lemon, and peanut butter. Unsurprisingly, not a good combination of flavors at all.

Sora leaned forward in anticipation. "What do you think?"

Leon was honest. It was one of the traits he prided himself on having. Usually. But now, not wanting to devastate his young friend, he made an effort to rephrase his reply in his mind before answering. "Next time you decide you want to make cookies, Sora, I'll help."

Sora drooped. "You don't like them?"

Leon ruffled Sora's hair with a gloved hand. "I'd like them much more if we made them together."

Leon dislikes sweets, and only eats them whenever he and Sora make their special secret recipe Leon & Sora Bunnies.

------------

Author's Note:

This is the sweetest thing I've ever written. It's _saccharine_! Ugh, I feel a coupla cavities coming on.

I've decided to write 10 drabbles because I want to get back into the swing of writing. 10 drabbles is an easy goal (knock on wood). Why Leon/Sora? 'Cuz I've been in the mood for some KH shota. Plus, it's such an odd pairing if you keep the two in character. And I love Leon, but he really needs to lighten up, y'know?


	3. Leon liked to be alone

**10 Things About Leon**

3.

Leon liked to be alone.

He got tired of people talking to him, demanding things, wanting him to respond. He liked to go home, collapse on the couch, and stare at the ceiling for a few minutes until the silence and calm settled in. Then, still enjoying the quiet, he'd settle down with a book, magazine, or newspaper. Sometimes a crossword.

He got huffy whenever he was interrupted. If the phone rang he'd answer it with a short "Yeah?", and if the doorbell rang he'd answer it with a death glare.

When he rarely got tired of silence, Leon would turn on some music. Classical, metal, or electronic; whatever he was in the mood for.

After meeting Sora his quiet afternoons became rarer and rarer. Almost every day the bouncy teenager would appear, knocking and yelling excitedly at the front door. Leon would open the door, glare ineffectually, and suffer through a variable length of time filled with questions, off-key singing, gossip, and rambling anecdotes, all spoken in a continuous babble of chatter.

So when a respite of a couple Sora-free days came, Leon enjoyed his old routine of reading and puzzle-solving.

...For the first couple days.

The third day Leon wondered what was occupying Sora.

The fourth day Leon decided that Sora's visits weren't so bad. The kid was irrepressible, and rarely took genuine offense if Leon pretended to ignore him. Leon thought it was mostly because Sora was so wrapped up in himself. Not in a bad way, of course.

The fifth day Leon picked up his rarely-used phone and dialed the number Sora had left on a little blue sticky note affixed to the fridge. The awkward conversation went: "Hello?" (Sora). "You're okay?" (Leon). "Hi Leon! Yeah, I'm fine!" (Sora). "...Good." (Leon). He hung up the phone.

The sixth day Leon's crossword was less than a quarter finished when the doorbell rang and Sora clomped into the hall uninvited.

"_Hiiiii_!" He grinned and waved energetically at Leon.

Leon has decided that he doesn't like being alone nearly as much as he thought he did.


	4. Leon smoked

**Ten Things About Leon**

4.

Leon smoked.

He'd picked up the habit several years ago, when the worst troubles began and worlds collided then faded away into darkness.

It was calming and soothing. But more than that, it gave him something to do with his hands- bring it up to inhale, down to exhale, light it up, stub it out, compulsively flick the lighter on and off and on and off wherever the actual act was forbidden. There was almost a sanctity to the routine.

The first time Sora had visited (or "invaded" according to Leon's inner monologue) and Leon had pulled out the carton to tap one out, Sora had pitched a fit. "Ewww! You're going to smoke _right now? Here?! Inside?!_ While I'm sitting _next to_ you?!"

Leon had sighed and rolled his eyes and muttered something along the lines of "It's my place and you're only visiting, so therefore you have no right to make requests regarding my behaviors, offensive to you or not." Only in much shorter and less polite terms and with frequent, annoyed grunts. Sora had left at almost the exact instant flame touched cigarette.

The next time Leon had the urge to smoke when Sora was around, the two were doing maintenance and light repair work on the Keyblade. Sora didn't want to leave his precious weapon hostage in the clutches of a "meany, smelly-pants chimney," so he locked himself in Leon's bathroom until the air cleared.

The next several times Sora deigned to remain in the same room and neither had a tantrum nor utilized sophomoric insults; favoring, instead, the more subtle tactics of eye-rolling, sighing, pouting, and loud theatrical coughs.

The last time Leon began to pull the carton from its accustomed place in his back pocket, Sora's face turned toward him. With tear-filled eyes and a strategic lip-tremble, he plaintively whined, "Do you really want me to _die_? Do you hate me that much?"

The possibility that this was merely a manipulation ploy didn't occur to Leon; he was so habituated with the teenager's immature tendencies. He dropped the cigarette back into its slot and tossed the carton onto the floor. He passed a hand through Sora's hair. "Of course not. If it bothers you that much, I'll stop."

Leon smokes two cigarettes a day while sitting alone on the front steps.


	5. Leon always had difficulty sleeping

**Ten Things About Leon**

5.

Leon always had difficulty sleeping.

He didn't like resting; he wanted to be alert, on watch, training, fighting, pacing, jogging--anything but lying alone in the dark. Because when his body slowed down, his mind speeded up. And his mind tended to dwell on unpleasant things like regrets and painful memories.

So it is hardly a surprise that he subsisted on gallons of coffee and energy drinks. The times when his body gave out and shut down for a few hours' recuperation, it was against Leon's wishes and usually happened while he sat on the couch late at night with bad canceled sitcom reruns playing on the television. And then unconsciousness usually came in short twenty-minute bursts.

One afternoon, Sora collapsed on Leon's bed with a long exhalation of relief. "Whew. Y'know what?" He called out to Leon. "You're bed's pretty comfy."

Leon appeared in the doorway. Only because of his accumulated hours of Leon-studying was Sora able to classify the man's frown as "mildly irritated" instead of "scarily angry." "What you you doing in here?"

Sora squirmed until he was cozily under the covers. "I'm sleepy." He yawned. "Need to take a nap. You should too."

Leon grunted. It wasn't really a question, but Sora saw fit to answer anyway. "You always look tired. Don't you ever sleep?"

"No."

Torn between wanting to conk out and wanting to get details, Sora compromised. Closing his eyes he asked, "Why not?"

"...Just can't," Leon replied before leaving the room to let Sora sleep.

The next day Sora arrived holding a box. "I brought you some stuff!" He beamed as Leon opened the door and allowed him to enter. He headed straight for the bedroom. Bemusedly, Leon followed.

"Here's my nightlight," Sora said, plugging in some molded plastic tackily depicting ice cream cones. "And my favorite blanket," he continued, laying down a bright purple fleecy scrap of cloth. "And, finally, Moosh!" Sora triumphantly held up something that, at first glance, looked like a patchwork of clashing colors and fabrics.

"What is it?" Leon asked warily.

"My favorite stuffie!" Sora thrust the object at Leon. "Here! You can borrow it!"

Leon reluctantly took the thing. "What is it?" He repeated.

"A _dog_, you silly!" He danced out of the bedroom and down the short hallway into the living room. Leon plodded after him, still gingerly carrying the stuffed animal.

"What am I supposed to with it?" He asked, looking uneasily down at it.

"You _cuddle_ it! Moosh always helps _me_ sleep!"

"Won't you need... Moosh... yourself, then?" The toy's name came out hesitantly and reluctantly, saying the word like it was the equivalent of him picking up a used tissue by the corner with two fingers.

Sora put his hands on his hips and seriously looked Leon up and down carefully. "I think you need him more. And I still have Diggles, Bongo, and Gup-Lup at home."

Leon wasn't able to convince Sora to take any of his belongings home with him that evening.

That night Leon decided to read in bed instead of camping on the couch. When his body began demanding rest, he got up and went through the nightly routine of locking up and washing up before turning the light off and lying awake in bed.

He rolled and turned, trying to find a comfortable position before ending up on one side staring through the darkness toward a wall. After several minutes he got up and switched on Sora's nightlight, just so he had something to look at and criticize in his head.

He pulled Sora's fuzzy blanket up over his neck and chin because they were strangely cold.

And, because the bed was narrow and he didn't want something Sora cherished so much to fall on the floor and get covered in dust, Leon was practically forced into clutching Moosh against his chest.

Leon was quite surprised the next morning when he looked at the clock and saw that over four hours had passed.

Leon doesn't find it too difficult to sleep when he has something to hold on to during the night.

----------

Author's Note:

I don't know about this one. I'm not too fond of the writing, but I admit that I do like the imagery. I mean, Leon sleeping with a nightlight and under a purple blankie with a stuffie?! Priceless!

I did consider having Sora cuddling up to Leon while he slept, and Leon finding himself miraculously able to sleep. But I decided that I'm going to challenge myself and keep this a low-rated fic without blatant sexual elements.

And I dunno where the stuffed animals' names came from. My own two favorite stuffies are a manatee and a chubby penguin which are, respectively, called "Manatee" and "Chubby Penguin."

...And Voila! 5/10 drabbles done in less than 12 hours!


	6. Leon didn't want to remember

**Ten Things About Leon**

6.

Leon didn't want to remember.

The past was the past, he thought, despite having witnessed events through another's eyes that had happened years before he was born. (That first time... "I dreamt I was a moron." Little did he know...)

It was odd that Leon got the vaguest urge to smile over that. He forced himself to remind his nostalgic feelings that years had passed, a world had succumbed, and friends had been lost.

Good. That memory hurt again. Just like all the others.

Remembering his old life brought an ache to his chest and stinging to his eyes. Leon considered that appropriate; those memories _should_ bring him pain.

It was unfortunate that he was the only one able of all his acquaintances to _feel_ pain.

"Hey, Leon, what was your world like?" Sora asked one day. He was sprawled on the floor watching Leon polish his boots.

"..." Leon remained silent, and swiped more polish on the right toe.

Sora's nose crinkled at the renewed sharpness of the odor of the black gunk. "What was it called?"

"..." Leon's customary frown grew darker and frownier. His eyebrows drew together. But Sora obliviously persisted in his interrogation.

"I lived on an island. Did you live on an island? Was the beach sandy or rocky? Where there cliffs? Was the water green or blue? Or grey? Were there lotsa trees? Was it cold or-"

Leon interrupted gruffly. "For most of my life I did live on an island."

"Wow, me too!" Sora responded happily. "Destiny Island! It has blue water that's always warm but not _too_ warm, and yellowish-whitish sand, an' there are palm trees an'-"

Once again Leon cut him off. "Had."

"What?" Sora's voice held confusion.

"Had. Were. Past tense. It's gone now." Leon replied shortly.

Sora looked down at his hands. "Yeah..." he agreed in a small voice. Louder, he demanded, "_So?_"

Leon's expression as he stared at Sora was one of disbelief and uncertainty in the kid's intelligence. "_So_," He repeated, "what's the use of talking about a place that has ceased to exist? You saw it being destroyed, so how can y- _why_," he corrected himself hastily, "should you talk about it?"

Somehow, Sora cannily caught the mistake and rightly inferred that the "how can" was an indication that Leon didn't feel like he could talk about his past. _Why?_ he wondered.

"Just because something special is gone forever, doesn't mean that you should forget it. I think that just gives you _more_ reason to remember it." Sora's eyes unfocused, as if he were back on the sand of Destiny Island and looking out over the water. Leon saw a flash of melancholy on the teenager's face before Sora smiled, wistful and bittersweet. Blue eyes turned back to Leon. "It hurts a lot at first, but... Meh, it's silly."

Leon lifted his eyebrows in a silent urge for Sora to continue.

"It's like... I know it's gone and I'll never be there again, but I want to be sure to remember everything about it. The good things and the bad things. Whenever I think about home, I remember that it's gone forever, and it hurts... but I force myself through it." He ducked his head shyly as he admitted something he knew was really corny. "After that, you let yourself remember the best things and it's like a treasure. A reward for getting through the hurt."

Leon spoke haltingly. "It... still hurts." Sora heard the question in that sentence. And, analyzing it, he knew that that question was the closest Leon had ever been to admitting that his memories hurt him too.

"The ache goes away only a tiny bit at a time. But it gets a lot easier after a while. And when you start remembering the little and best things about home... like the fireflies and sunsets... it makes me feel the closest to being back there that I will feel ever again." Sora's smile was dazzling. "I loved the fireflies." He sighed, but it was more happiness than regret.

Leon returned his outward attention to his boot but was inwardly mulling Sora's speech over. Objectively, he could agree with the premise that once you allowed yourself to recall the bad that you might possibly be able to recall the better. But were Leon's happy memories--as few as they are--worth the trouble? And would lessening the pain be met with approval in the eyes of the ghosts of Leon's past who might begrudge him for surviving? Was it _fair_?

Life isn't fair. It was a cliche that he'd heard several times during his life. And he'd wholeheartedly agreed with the statement when he'd wandered into Traverse Town and encountered only strangers who had never known that Balamb and Centra and the Gardens had ever existed.

It was guilt, he knew. That was the pain in his chest and the sting in his eyes. Guilt that, out of everyone Squall had encountered in his whole life--the younger, the smarter, the kinder, the more innocent--**he** alone had survived.

Sora's low voice intruded on Leon's introspection. "I'm still sad about all my friends who are gone." Leon observed that, like him, Sora never used the word "dead." "...But if me and Kairi and Riku still remember them and home, then it's proof that they existed. And I can't remember Wakka right if I don't remember how he talked and was great at blitzball but clumsy the rest of the time." Sora smiled widely to prove that the strengths and foibles of his friend were happy recollections.

I only imagine what her face would have looked like when she saw the end coming, Leon admitted to himself. And how he would've fought the inevitable with both barrels blazing, instead of... that butterfly. Or how she danced.

Leon could almost see the pain ebbing in his mind. His breathing evened, and for the first time in a very long while, he felt a lightening of his spirits. A butterfly and dancing. Backflips and arrogant sneers. Singing and teasing...

"My first memories are of a lighthouse..."

Leon wanted to remember.

----------

Note: Wow. I've always wanted to write something that ties together Leon and Kingdom Hearts with Squall and FF8. I didn't expect I ever would- it seems like too big of a gulf to traverse.

FF8 fans should hopefully identify some of the moments Leon remembers. "I dreamt I was a moron" is my all-time favorite quote from the game. (imaginary) Cookies go out to reviewers who can ID any references. Who sang and who teased? Who was the moron? (I'm a geek about movie and fandom trivia.)

I should also disclaim that I played KH over two years ago, and forget how the worlds were "eaten" or whatever.

Thanks for reading!


	7. Leon tried to find a hobby

7. Leon tried to find a hobby.

Once he had grown out of his teenage years, simply running around killing things wasn't as fulfilling as it had been. He wanted to find something else to devote his lengthening stretches of free time to. After all, once you reached a certain age your knees began to creak and sleeping on the hard ground just wasn't fun anymore... but neither was lurking around the house bored out of your mind.

After dabbling (privately, out of sight and earshot of anyone else) in numerous avocations, Leon had come to the grim conclusion that he had no talents other than swinging oversized swords and using simple magics. His attempts at coaxing something pleasant-sounding from an instrument failed. When he sat down at the kitchen table, pencil in hand, and stared at the blank pages of a journal, his mind went blank. Watercolor paints had just pooled into a brown puddle in the middle of the canvas. Trying to knit had resulted in a clump of snagged and knotted yarn. The lemon meringue pie was a monstrosity of black crust and yellow goo covered by a dense layer of eggy cement. The pine bonsai had survived only four days; the herb garden six. The home karaoke machine had been shoved in a closet, the yoga mat kicked into a corner, and the DIY marquetry kit had been thrown in the fireplace, doused with gin, and lit in a fit of pique.

Leon was running out of ideas.

One Tuesday he was venturing out to the market. Sora had tagged along and was walking alongside, humming absentmindedly.

"Do you have any hobbies?" Leon inquired.

Sora was surprised at the question. Leon rarely asked questions and never, _ever_ initiated conversations. After a couple minutes, after he had recovered from the shock, Sora had to struggle to remember what the question was. "I like playing video games," he replied after a moment of thought.

Leon grunted. There was silence, broken only by their footfalls. Then he spoke again. "Do you make anything?"

Sora felt his eyebrows lift. They rose on their own accord, because Sora's mind hadn't even processed the fact that Leon was voluntarily breaking silence for the _second time_. "Make stuff? Like what?"

Leon's shoulder jerked, and the big vein in his neck twitched. He kept his gaze resolutely forward on the street. "Paintings. Or food. Scarves. Wooden boxes."

"I made myself nachos yesterday..." Sora ventured. He was actually feeling shy! It was such a novel event, Leon wanting to know something about Sora, that he didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Apparently, despite his caution, Sora had given a wrong answer. Leon scowled, still glaring ahead, and his strides lengthened. The teenager cringed back, not realizing that Leon's apparent anger was actually embarrassment that he was making such a mess out of asking questions and making conversation.

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed, a moment later, in revelation. "You mean _make_ stuff! Like, arts and crafts! I draw, sometimes, and I've tried writing poetry-" he blushed, "but it's really _bad_. I've used clay a couple times, and Kairi made me string beads for necklaces and stuff."

"...Clay," Leon murmured, like the word or concept was inscrutable. "_Beads_."

"I doodle a lot," Sora continued, relieved that he seemed to be on the right track. "And I keep a diary. Oh! And I've tried origami!"

"Origami?" This time, Leon's voice was closer to its normal volume and expressed something that was vaguely related to excitement. Mild interest, perhaps.

Sora picked up on it. "Yeah! You know, folding paper! Into shapes, like animals and things!" He skipped ahead of Leon and turned around to watch him. "Riku taught me how to make a crane, once. He said his mom had shown him. All you need is a piece of paper, but it has to be square! It can't have wobbly edges or rounded corners, 'cause..."

Leon pushed Sora's babble into the background. Origami. Yes, he could try that next.

Two days later Leon was alone at his home. He had found some instructions for basic folds and shapes. He had bought a ream of square paper in various colors and sizes. He had been folding for three hours straight, and paper cranes, boxes, flowers, frogs, and pinwheels covered the table and were scattered on the floor.

He liked this. Take a piece of paper. Fold. Sharpen the crease with his knife. Unfold. Turn the paper. Repeat.

It made sense. It was mathematical- all proportions and angles. The lines the creases made were straight and clean. Paper folding didn't require expensive materials or create a mess. Paper flowers didn't die. If he wanted to, he could just stand up and walk away, leaving everything alone where it was.

A couple days after that first frenzy of paper folding, Leon knocked on Sora's front door. He had only been there once; Sora was the one who came 'round lonely and uninvited.

Sora opened the door. He grinned and his eyes sparkled. "Leon! Wow! You're here!" The brunet literally bounced with pleasure. "You wanna come in?"

Leon shook his head. His unsmiling mouth looked as grim as ever, but his eyes were lighter and almost... warm. "Here." He thrust something at Sora.

Sora took it. Leon had given him a small folded paper replica of his Keyblade! Except for the color, the likeness was meticulously replicated. Sora's jaw dropped. "Oh!" He breathed in wonder. When he looked back up at Leon his eyes were even shinier than usual. "Leon! How did you make this? It's perfect!"

Leon shrugged modestly and ducked his head to try to hide a small, un-repressable smile of pride. "It took me a few days. I had to learn how to do easier stuff, first. Then it took me a long time to figure out the design. The first attempts weren't any good."

Sora's teary eyes bugged out. "You... '_Learn'_? I mean, how long have you been doing origami?!"

"Since you mentioned it the other day."

The teenager's mouth opened and closed several times. He was at a loss for words. Eventually, he swallowed and said softly, "Leon. Thank you so much."

"Welcome." Leon turned and began walking down the street.

"Wait!" The man paused and felt someone collide with him. He looked down and saw Sora's arms and sleeves wrapped around him. Once it registered that he was being hugged and not assaulted, Leon went from tense and defensive to merely tense and uncomfortable.

Sora released him and stepped back, looking bashful and keeping his eyes directed at the toes of his shoes. "You're really amazing, Leon. And really nice. I... I just wanted to say thanks again and... I really like it. And I really like you, too." He whirled and ran back home.

Leon turned in time to see the door slam shut.

"I like you, too, kid." He said quietly to himself.

Notes:

I deviated from the format- there is no revision of the opening sentence at the end. Meh, it just didn't feel right. And, really, the fact that Leon's admitting aloud that he likes someone is progress for him, as I am characterizing him here. And that "like" is intentionally left undefined; in keeping with the low rating (!) it can simply be understood as friendship or my fellow yaoi fangirls and -boys can interpret is as "_like_-like."

Has anyone ever told you, straight out, "I like you"? It gives me warm fuzzies. I highly recommend you say it to your friends and acquaintances. Everyone questions their like-ability, and it's a simple affirmation.

And I suppose I should probably mention that this collection is probably AU, since I haven't played KH2 (yet) or CoM. I'm just going on the assumption that Leon and Sora live alone in houses/apartments relatively close to each other.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. These "drabbles" seem to be getting longer and longer. Plus I had the distraction of Christmas for several days. I hope everyone had good holidays, and thanks for reading!


	8. Leon worried

Leon felt strange whenever Sora was gone.

"You're worried," Yuffie diagnosed, sticking her face inches away from Leon's.

Leon turned away and addressed Aerith, who was standing quietly with her hands folded. "I'm always worried."

"But the defense system is taking care of the few Heartless and Nobodies that are still hanging around!" The ninja proclaimed this as if it meant that the battle had been won and Hollow Bastion was guaranteed to remain safe. Leon stared at her, feeling a tugging in his chest. How was she able to cheerfully ignore the dire threat of their world succumbing to darkness? Leon realized he was envious; he was tired of the burden of anxiety and paranoia that always weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Aerith smiled gently. "You need to rest. Go home and find something peaceful to do."

Yuffie snorted. "Leon's mind never shuts off. He's always brooding, brooding, brooding! If he goes home, he'll just brood more about what he's missing here at HQ." She bounced a little, then smiled at Leon in an apologetic way and shrugged. "You're never going to be Mr. Carefree- once this is all over, you'll find more things to worry about and frown at. You'd find fault with the color of the sky if you had nothing else to do!"

Aerith raised a hand to her mouth to cover her smile. As always, Leon noted this gesture with an odd pang that he could never figure out the source for. "You still should go and get some sleep. I promise we'll call you if something happens."

Leon was actually about to accept her offer when Cid's computer made an odd noise.

"What's that?" Yuffie asked.

"A message," Leon responded shortly, pacing over to the console and switching on the display.

Mickey's manic chipmunks were bouncing all over the screen. "They're gone! Disappeared!" The one with the red nose squeaked.

"Clarify." Leon demanded.

"Sora and Donald and Goofy's ship just went off the radar!"

Leon sucked in a breath. The strange feeling in his belly intensified. "What does that mean?" His voice was ragged and loud and he glared at the animals. A small hand settled on his shoulder and he knew without looking that it was Aerith.

"Dunno! This has never, ever happened before!"

"Oh no! This is bad!" Yuffie announced. Behind Leon's back, Aerith gave her a disapproving glance.

"We can't contact them," Black Nose said.

Leon clawed at the edge of the console, feeling that frantic desperation he had felt so many times over his lifetime. "How long ago did the ship disappear?"

"Almost an hour ago."

Leon turned away from the display and pressed his fingertips to his forehead. _Hyne!_ He thought, his distress dredging up an imprecation he hadn't used in years. He heard Aerith talking to the Gummi engineers and wondered how she could be so calm.

"Uh, Leon? I'm sure they'll be fine," Yuffie said shakily. He snuck a peek at her face and that it was pale and her eyes uncertain.

Wordlessly, Leon dropped into Cid's chair, vowing to stay in that spot until he had definite news about Sora.

"Yuffe." He heard the word only vaguely and paid scant attention to the sounds of Aerith whispering and then the door closing. He listened as soft suede boots approached him. "I'll stay here with you."

"No." Leon heard his voice crack. "I'm..." He couldn't think of a word to finish that sentence.

"Fine?" He heard a small smile in Aerith's voice. "Of course you aren't. I'm not going to bother you. I'll just stay here and wait quietly."

Leon just shrugged, eyes fixed on the LED light that would flash when news came.

Several hours later Aerith was roused from a nap and Leon jolted in his seat by the slamming of the front door. Leon's body moved erratically but he managed to swivel the chair and leap to his feet. Sora appeared in the doorway.

"Hey Leon. Sorry about that. Communications were hit, and somehow the tracking thingy was disabled." The boy buried a hand in his hair and smiled apologetically.

Leon's heavy boots thumped loudly on the floor as he hurried to the boy. "You're alright?"

Sora's blue eyes widened at the gruffness of Leon's tone. "We're fine."

Almost after the act, Leon's mind registered at he was wrapping his arms around the kid and holding him tightly. "I-I was worried," he admitted, falteringly, in explanation.

"Sorry Leon. But I'm home now." Arms circled around his waist, and Leon felt lighter than he could remember ever being.

"...I'm glad."


	9. Leon was proud

**Leon's Pride**

Leon knew that it should have bothered him. Here was this goofy (if you'll pardon the term) kid whose weapon was a giant key. You'd think that someone who had spent the majority of his life perfecting his skill with a weapon that so few in his world were capable of _swinging_ let alone _wielding_, Leon would be a bit more miffed at repeatedly being bested by a boy with a veritable explosion of brown hair and abnormally large feet.

However, outlandish as his weapon was, Sora was someone Leon admired ungrudgingly. He'd been abruptly pulled from a peaceful childhood, handed a weapon, told that he was destined to battle hordes of improbable beings and save the universe against enormous odds, and had so far managed to survive victoriously.

Destiny wasn't something Leon believed in; it would have been nice to blame his disasters and failures on Providence or Fate, but if it did exist it had completely screwed Leon over and thus didn't deserve his acknowledgment. According to this world view--because it was untenable to believe that Destiny could be credited for the "keyblade's chosen's" aptitude for the martial art--Leon really respected the fighting skills Sora had so rapidly earned solely through his persistence and hard work.

Sora had trumped Leon and Yuffie in arena battles. He had defeated Ansem and discorporated numerous Heartless monstrosities. Sora had even trounced _Cloud_, someone whose sword skills Leon deemed to be higher than his own. Leon had watched, heart in mouth, as the kid had taken on an entire army of Heartless--somewhere around a thousand, if Leon was any judge at reckoning--_by himself_.

That Sora wasn't smug about his own ability or ever jaded and apathetic about having to save the universe yet again was hardly believable when considered dispassionately. But Leon knew Sora: had noted the determination as he practiced his attacks and guards, watched him shrug off the rare failure with a rueful grin, seen the puzzled naivete on his face, heard the resigned yet cheerful tone in his voice when confronted with yet another cadre of enemies.

In the face of that unshakeable optimism and perpetual willingness, Leon found himself--as he was now and as he had been while training as a mercenary--lacking. He had always been too serious, too quiet; more obsessive than intuitive with his weapon. He envied the delight and ease with which Sora swung his keyblade and the joy he saw in the brunet's face when he had surpassed his own expectations.

As accomplished and proud of his own gunblade prowess as Leon was, he found himself able to be prouder still of Sora's talent and mastery of his chosen weapon.

-----------------

Notes: It's about Leon and Sora; it's a drabble; it was written and in a state of completion. So I threw it in. I'll probably end up adding chapters to this thing whenever I have the whim. (The title "10 Things About Leon" should probably be changed to "_n_ Things About Leon.") Once I get the tenth chapter written and posted, I'll label the story complete even though more bits that fit the story criteria may be annexed later.

Oops! One of my drabbles (the one that I had planned to be the last) took on a life of its own this morning, and before I knew it five more pages had been written, the silly fluffiness and relationship ambiguity had turned into angst and no-holds-barred slash, and grew incredibly wordy (my thesaurus and I had a passionate/ardent/fervid/etc. fling today).

A big key is a stupid weapon. (Sora in fyre byrd's awesome story "NinetyNine" agrees with me.) Wasn't that battle against the thousand Heartless fun?! "Rising Sun"-ing and "Sparkle Ray"-ing all over the place again and again made me grin happily. And pardon the punny title; I didn't really mean for it to be like that. And I've finished KH2, so I know KH1 Ansem wasn't KH2 Ansem, but I don't remember who it was and couldn't be bothered to get up and connect my laptop to the Net to look it up.


	10. Leon's new pet

**New Pet**

"Leon!" Sora's muffled voice permeated through the front door. Leon levered himself off the couch and opened it.

"What is that?" He asked warily, the burden of Sora's impossible to miss since it was large enough to obscure the teen's face.

"I got you a pet!"

Leon gingerly took the box from his friend's arms. Whatever that was in it was heavy; even for him.

"Put it on the table!" Sora directed, ushering Leon to a corner of the living room. Leon did as instructed solely for the reason that he had to dump the thing somewhere.

"Did I ever mention that I wanted a pet?" He grumbled.

"...Nooo..." Sora looked down and scuffed a foot. "But I thought it might be nice. Y'know, having company that you don't need to talk to. Besides, there are lots of health benefits from keeping a pet!" He dug in one jeans pocket and pulled out a crumpled magazine article. "Look! They lower your blood pressure, reduce stress-"

Leon cut him off. "What kind of animal did you get?" He knew he didn't sound happy; knowing Sora, the energetic kid probably bought a puppy (Leon hated exercise), a kitten (Leon was unreasonably fond of his unmarred leather couch), or something like a rat or ferret (...the less Leon had to say about rodents, the better). Whatever the 'present' was, Leon was sure it would leave stains in the carpet and Leon hated cleaning the carpet.

"Open it up and see!" Sora's eyes were round and shiny with excitement.

"..." Leon stood and frowned for several seconds, glaring at the box; perfectly content to live in suspense and totally free from pet-related responsibilities.

"Okay, _fine_," Sora huffed in exaggerated impatience. He opened the box himself.

Leon peered in the tank that was revealed. "Is that-" he trailed off.

Sora cried out, "A jellyfish!"

"..." Despite himself, Leon was rather impressed. Sora had managed to get him an animal that wasn't dirty, loud, or needed to be fed live insects.

Sora was studying Leon's expression intently, and smiled widely when his friend didn't immediately react with disparaging or sarcastic remarks. In fact--Sora craned his head closer to Leon's face and squinted--Leon almost looked _pleased_.

"You like it!" Sora's triumphant declaration was accompanied by an impromptu dance involving lots of twirling and head-shaking. Leon watched his antics in amusement and didn't refute the teen's statement; that lack of response did betray that he did really like the gift.

"Oh yeah!" Sora shouted. "Do I know you or what?" He stepped close to Leon and poked him in the middle of his chest with one finger. "Y'know, you're getting to be predictable, Leon."

Leon huffed and feigned affront. "Really?" He crossed his arms. "If I'm so predictable, what am I going to _name_ it, then?"

Sora thought. "Let me consult my magic Leon crystal ball..." He waved his hands in the air and faked concentration so hard that his eyes crossed. "The spirits tell me..." he began in his best effort at a spooky voice, "that Leon will name his jellyfish..." Sora dropped the theatrics and grinned up at Leon. "Um... Herman?"

"_Herman_?" Leon snorted with mirth that threatened to turn into an actual laugh. "Why Herman?"

The keyblade bearer's smile turned slightly sheepish. "Ah, because that was the first boring name that popped in my head?"

"Boring? Didn't you tell me you have an uncle named Herman?" The man's left eyebrow rose.

Sora fluttered his hands like he was erasing his last sentence from the air. "Don't tell him I said that!"

Leon rolled his eyes, but he was smiling the tiniest bit. "I won't." He turned back to watch the jellyfish.

"So," Sora said, standing next to Leon and watching the coelenterate float in the water, "What are you going to name it?"

"Well definitely not something _boring_," the man replied, laying disdain thickly on the

adjective.

"Oh yeah?"

Leon met the challenge without any inflections of teasing or retribution.

"Sora," he said quietly. "I'm gonna name it Sora." His hand roughed up Sora's hair as he straightened.

The boy squawked. "You can't name a jellyfish after me!" He protested, trying to fluff his hair back up into its usual spikes.

"Yes I can," Leon retorted smugly, as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"No you can't!" Sora half-wailed, chasing him.

Leon didn't stoop to contradict him again. He just pulled two bottles of juice out of the fridge and handed one to Sora.

"Leeeonnn!" He tugged at the man's arm. "Why?"

"...Because. Now I'll always be able to remember this day and who gave it to me." Leon turned his head away while he spoke, but Sora still saw the unguarded expression of embarrassment.

When Sora found his voice, all could say was, "Really?"

"Yeah." The man turned back to look at his younger friend, and smiled. A rare, _real_ Leon smile that even allowed Sora the tiniest glimpse of his teeth.

-------------------

Now for the absurdly long "10 Things" aftermath.

For those interested, **The origins of this chapter:**

Me: "What should I write about for another chapter for my Leon and Sora fic?"

Boyfriend: "I dunno. I don't know the characters."

Me: "Well, it's kind of an alternate universe fic anyway."

BF: "Ah... jellyfish?"

Me: "Hmm... Okay! Thanks!"

BF looks surprised

Note: Jellyfish probably aren't good pets for people who don't work at aquariums. But, hey, this is fiction! Let's just say you feed 'em and exchange the tap water in the tank occasionally. Literary pets are much easier to take care of than real ones.

-------------------

**Thien:** I agree- "sweet and fluffy" is strangely not my thing. I couldn't believe it when the first few parts of this story came out with no swear words! I'm glad that I've been doing well with portraying Squeon (ooh! I just found my new nickname for him!).

**Nierx:** Hooray for the cuteness! Hopefully, at least you can understand the trouble I have thinking up story titles.

**CZG:** I'm trying. :) I hope my additions are satisfactory.

**leonhart-less: **Glad you like it! I've dabbled in origami myself, and I just love that little detail about Leon pulling out a knife to sharpen folds.

**flaxon-eyes: **That full inbox did make me happy. I might've danced; though I think I checked my email that day around 7:30 am, so I may not have. You gave me so many things to respond to, I won't respond to all of them; but I enjoyed reading your stories and anticipate the time when/if you write and post more. "It was supposed to be chapter 10" will be finished sometime soon- just haven't been in a writing mood in the past couple days (um, perhaps finally buying FFXII has something to do with it...).

**Junsui-san:** Here is the tenth chapter. I hope you enjoyed the major "aww" factor at the end.

**To everyone who's favorited and alerted this story:** Thanks! I am happy that so many of you liked this!

**To those of you who haven't reviewed yet:** I'm sure you were just wait for the tenth chapter to be posted. Right? _Right?! _(Kidding! Well, kinda...) Now that it's here, you're going to click that review button and leave one or two or 57 words; I don't particularly care if you simply tell me your favorite flavor of jelly bean. I have just discovered that I am a review wh- (ahem) _appreciator_.

Seriously, I'm amazed and grateful for how much attention this collection has gotten in such a short amount of time. I hope this encourages some of you to post your own little ficlets!

-------------------

Though I'm probably not done adding to this, I have come up with a few different plots for L/S and alternate pairing stories. I'm working on three KH ones right now; all slash, I'm afraid, so sorry all you friendship-only fans (be assured that "10 Things" will always have only the slightest tinge of shounen-ai).


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